42" Rear Discharge Pulley nightmare.......

[Fordiesel69 259]

Got a 42" rear discharge deck from about 1997.  I do not have the model number but it would be a standard deck that comes with the 1997 314-8 toro / wheel horse.  We cannot get the center pulley off so I can rebuild the spindle bearings and repar a stress crack.  Does this pulley unscrew off the shaft or somthing?  We heated it orange and cannot get it off the shaft.  If it unscrews, how do you grip it.?

[Fordiesel69 259]

anyone.......need to get fixed by tomorrow.

[Kurt-NEPA 755]

Looking at the parts manual, the spindle looks the same as the for the 48" SD deck.  Take the nut off and tap the spindle out the bottom.  Its best to support the bottom of the deck so you don't distort it. 

 

I've not had my 42" RD deck spindles out, so I may be out of line here, but my 46" SD spindles popped out this way with out much persuasion.  It only took a blow with a soft face dead blow hammer.

 

My 2 cents worth.

Edited June 8, 2018 by Kurt-NEPA

[wildman 205]

My 42" rear discharge deck from that era looked to have a tapered shaft at the top

[doc724 925]

1997 decks do not have tapered shafts and the pulley is not keyed.  The pulley is rusted to the shaft.  Go buy some Kroil.  There are other home made recipes that others have used here, but Kroil is my go to for stubborn parts.  It is 10x better than WD40 and 5x better than PB Blaster (and it costs about 4-5x the cost of PB Blaster).  Spray liberally between the pulley and the shaft.  Repeat every day for 4-5 bays.  They try Kurt's method.  A little heat will help but this stuff is flammable.  There is another Kroil like material that someone here uses with great success but damn if I can remember the name of it.  Like Kroil, it has also been around for 40 years.  It maybe a Lucas Oil product

 

I use Kroil for a handful of stubborn things:  Hubs, steering wheels, pulleys and the pins that hold the rear tow hitch on.  I am 100% successful on steering wheels and you cannot heat them!

[953 nut 55,078]

I will add a couple pointers to what @Kurt-NEPA had to say. Remove the blade and find a piece of pipe or other hallow thing to place under the spindle housing to support it. When driving the shaft down leave the nut on as long as you can and use a brass hammer or large brass punch so you don't damage the shaft. A hardwood block will be better than nothing if you don't have a brass hammer or punch.

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,033]

Not everyone has a short length of 6" diameter pipe for a support.

Would 4 pieces of 2x6 spruce about 8" long screwed together to form a box work? The inside hole would be 4" x 4".

 

Garry

[Kurt-NEPA 755]

2 minutes ago, gwest_ca said:

Not everyone has a short length of 6" diameter pipe for a support.

Would 4 pieces of 2x6 spruce about 8" long screwed together to form a box work? The inside hole would be 4" x 4".

 

Garry

 

I used an old empty one gallon paint can.

[953 nut 55,078]

11 minutes ago, gwest_ca said:

Not everyone has a short length of 6" diameter pipe for a support.

Would 4 pieces of 2x6 spruce about 8" long screwed together to form a box work? The inside hole would be 4" x 4".

 

Garry

 

42 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

or other hallow thing to place under the spindle housing to support it.

            Just hate to see someone destroy a spindle or deck body.

[Sarge 3,463]

Kroil is not easy to find unless you order it directly from the manufacturer.

A tip - automatic transmission fluid (ATF) mixed 50/50 with acetone works about the same, if not faster. Now, keep in mind - this stuff is extremely flammable and quite nasty on your skin, so be careful. It is also damaging to paint, so use it with that in mind. Storing the stuff isn't easy, the acetone evaporates very easily since it's designed to do exactly that. It will also eat some types of plastics and resins, so test it first on like parts that are not critical. ATF, Dexron of any flavor is great, do not use type F for Ford - that is different.

 

An inexpensive piece of 6" PVC should work to support the spindle housing - easy to obtain and tougher than you'd think.

 

Sarge

[daveoman1966 3,745]

 

A coffee can or paint can works. Maybe put one on each spindle to keep the deck level on a hard surface...garage floor.  Back off the top nut a couple turns.  If it has a grease zerk..remove it.  Use a hardwood or brass block against the end of the shaft.  With some man-balls, WHACK that block with a BGH...don't be bashful.    The shaft should break loose of the pulley, then take off the nut....presto.  

[Fordiesel69 259]

I will try a mix of ATF and acetone.  I have used so far a big hammer, an air chisel, and an oxy acetl torch to turn pulley red hot.  No dice.  Pulley is 100% destroyed now so I doesn't matter.  Im almost ready to switch tips and burn it off the shaft.    

[daveoman1966 3,745]

It is likely...after all the heating and banging...that the shaft is now flared out a little...maybe not.  MAYBE...use a cutoff wheel in a die grinder, but CAUTION not to damage the center shaft...if not already toast.

One other thought.   1)  Mount the blade upside-down...TIGHT.  2) Block the blade SECURELY so it can't move / turn.  3) Since pulley is already toast, use a  long-handle Pipe Wrench and try to twist the pulley either way.

[Goldnboy 910]

I second daveoman1966's approach.

On my 42" I litteraly had to use a 4 1/2" grinder to cut through the pullies making sure not to grind/ cut the shaft. The pulley is toast and it will come off this way. 

[Fordiesel69 259]

Still no dice.  Nothing is doing it.  Are we for sure it does not unscrew?

[doc724 925]

The pulley definitely does not screw off from 1997 decks.  However, decks from 1977 had tapered shafts.  Because you have mostly newer machines I am going to assume that you did not make a typo in your original post.  In the late 70's the shaft and pulley were tapered (just like the flywheel is on the engine) and it was impossible to get the pulley off without destroying it, and that was the first lesson I learned many years ago